Hemolyzing apparatus



June 21, 1960 M. G. BROWN El-AL HEMOLYZING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 24, 1956 INVENTORS MORDEN 6. BROWN MICHAEL L. AA/V/ of the saponin on the wire contacting the surface of the tubular member.

When the device is to be used by a physician or technician, one manner in which it may be loaded and used would be to place the open end 26 of the, member 12in contact with a drop of fresh whole blood upon the fingertip or ear lobe of a patient while thebulb-like member 14 is held compressed. Thereafter allowing the member 14 to expand while the air opening 20 is covered by the users finger will draw a portion of the blood sample into the bore 16 and since it must flow over and between the coated coils of the wire, it will be subjected to the hemolyzing action of the saponin; In fact, if the the bore and the groove therein. This threaded interior surface will also serve to cause turbulence in blood durmember 14 is worked somewhat by the users fingers at this time to move the sample back and forth in the bore, such aspiration or agitation thereof will tend to completely hemolyze the blood.

The purpose-of the air opening 20 mentioned above is to enable the user to have better; control 'of the blood sample while being taken into the tube and also while in the tube. By merely rolling the bulb 14 slightly between his fingers while manipulating the bulb, he may cover or uncover the opening 20 as desired.

Thereafter, when the blood sample is to be analyzed in a hemoglobinometer, such as referred to in the abovementioned patents, it is merely appliedto the lower plate of the specimen holder, the cover plate applied there over and the loaded holder inserted in the instrument.

However, since the syringeli'ke device 10 nearly completely enclosesand protects the sample from the surrounding-atmosphere at all times until the sample is analyzed, very, very littlechange, if any, occurs in the sample and, accordingly, the sample may be kept in the device for a considerably longer time than has been pos- Bible by use of other types of equipment heretofore.

While a preferred-form of the device has been described above as comprising a tubular member 12 formed of glass anda bulb-like member 14 formed of fiexible'rubber or the like and fitting thereover, it should be appreciated that the device of the present invention could have, if desired,.its tubular portion and its resilient bulb-like portions both formed of suitable plastic material in an integral manner. Preferably, insuch an arrangement, the bulblike portionlwould have thinner Wall sections so as to allow easy flexing thereof. However, when this modified form of the device is assembled and ready for use with the hemolyzer positioned therein, it will function equally well in carrying out the hemolyzing method desired; 1 "Instead of dipping the coiled wire 22 into the saponin as suggested above, it would be possible to suitably coat the interior of the tubular member with [the wire therein by allowing saponin to flow into and out of the tubular member.

Furthermore, when the tubular member or portion 12 is formed of molded plastic, as suggested above, it be possible to provide (see Fig. 5), a helical groove or grooves 26 in and extending lengthwise of the interior wall surface ofv the tubular part 12. This could easily be done by employing a pair of die members having a separate core member provided with a screw threaded outer surface for forming the bore of the elongated tubular part 12 during the molding operation. Thus, when this core is removed, an internal integral threaded surface will be present in said bore; and this groove will function in place of the coiled wire of Figs. 1 and 2 in receiving and retaining s'ulficient saponin in adherence with ing agitation or hemolyzing thereof.

While it is possible to take-blood into the tubular member 12 by manipulation of the bulb 14, as mentioned above, it is also possible and fully as easy, if not easier, to load the device by merely holding the bulb-like end thereof in alowered position and allow the sample to flow by capillary action into the other end of the tube. Of course, the opening 20 can be controlled at this time, if desired, to govern the amount of blood being taken in.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A small compact inexpensive disposable device for use in collecting directly from a patients finger tip, ear lobe or the like a small sample of whole blood and for use in hemolyzing same, said device comprising a thin elongated relatively rigid tubular member of transparent material having a central capillary-like passageway extending longitudnally therethrough from one end thereof to the other, a hollow flexible bulb-like member carried by one end of said tubular member and having its interiortin communication with said passageway, said bulblike member having a small air opening extending through a wall portion thereof and arranged so as to be closed by a finger of the user of the device, when desired, during loading and unloading of a blood sample in said device I and during agitation of said sample therein, means extending longitudinally in said tubular member and shaped so as to define a relatively'thin elongated helical'path v communicating with and constituting a part of said central capillary-like passageway throughout thegreater part of the length of said tubular member, and a very thin coating of a hemolytic material adhered to substantially all exposed surface portions of the means defining said helical path so as to be contacted by the blood sample being drawn into said passageway during loading of said tubular 'member, whereby said sample may be readily observed through said transparent material and the correct amount desired insaid tube readily controlled by covering and uncovering the opening in said bulb during said loading, and whereby hemolyzing of said sample may be readily accomplished thereafter by covering said opening and manipulating said bulb slightly to cause said sample to move back and forth along said-passageway and helical path while in contact with said hemolytic material.

. 2. The combination defined in claim 1 and wherein the means defining said relatively thin elongated helical path is in 'the'forrn o'farelativel-y long thincoiled ele ment of inert material within said passageway and engaging wall portions thereof and having said coating of hemolytic material adhering to exposed surface portions 

1. A SMALL COMPACT INEXPENSIVE DISPOSABLE DEVICE FOR USE IN COLLECTING DIRECTLY FROM A PATIENT''S FINGER TIP, EAR LOBE OF THE LIKE A SMALL SAMPLE OF WHOLE BLOOD AND FOR USE IN HEMOLYZING SAME, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A THIN ELONGATED RELATIVELY RIGID TUBULAR MEMBER OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL HAVING A CENTRAL CAPILLARY-LIKE PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THERETHROUGH FROM ONE END THEREOF TO THE OTHER, A HOLLOW FLEXIBLE BULB-LIKE MEMBER CARRIED BY ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING ITS INTERIOR IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PASSAGEWAY, SAID BULBLIKE MEMBER HAVING A SMALL AIR OPENING EXTENDING THROUGH A WALL PORTION THEREOF AND ARRANGED SO AS TO BE CLOSED BY A FINGER OF THE USER OF THE DEVICE, WHEN DESIRED, DURING LOADING AND UNLOADING OF A BLOOD SAMPLE IN SAID DEVICE AND DURING AGITATION OF SAID SAMPLE THEREIN, MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND SHAPED SO AS TO DEFINE A RELATIVELY THIN ELONGATED HELICAL PATH COMMUNICATING WITH AND CONSTITUTING A PART OF SAID CENTRAL CAPILLARY-LIKE PASSAGEWAY THROUGHOUT THE GREATER PART OF THE LENGTH OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, AND A VERY THIN COATING OF A HEMOLYTIC MATERIAL ADHERED TO SUBSTANTIALLY ALL EXPOSED SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE MEANS DEFINING SAID HELICAL PATH SO AS TO BE CONTACTED BY THE BLOOD SAMPLE BEING DRAWIN INTO SAID PASSAGEWAY DURING LOADING OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, WHEREBY SAID SAMPLE MAY BE READILY OBSERVED THROUGH SAID TRANSPARENT MATERIAL AND THE CORRECT AMOUNT DESIRED IN SAID TUBE READILY CONTROLLED BY COVERING AND UNCOVERING THE OPENING IN SAID BULB DURING SAID LOADING, AND WHEREBY HEMOLYZING OF SAID SAMPLE MAY BE READILY ACCOMPLISHED THEREAFTER BY COVERING SAID OPENING AND MANIPULATING SAID BULB SLIGHTLY TO CAUSE SAID SAMPLE TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAID PASSAGEWAY AND HELICAL PATH WHILE IN CONTACT WITH SAID HEMOLYTIC MATERIAL. 